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Minister Fast and U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker in First Face-to-Face Meeting

Minister Fast and U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker in First Face-to-Face Meeting

Photo (left to right): Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the United States; Minister Fast; and U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker

September 26, 2013 - Washington, D.C. - The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, meets with Penny Pritzker, the new U.S. secretary of commerce. This was their first face-to-face meeting since she took office in June. Minister Fast and Secretary Pritzker took stock of the progress made to date, and committed to intensified work in the future regarding the Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council action plans. Announced by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, these two initiatives focus on enhancing the two countries’ common security, prosperity and economic competitiveness by increasing regulatory alignment and efficiency at the border.

Canada-U.S. bilateral trade in goods and services surpassed $742.5 billion in 2012, with more than $2 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border daily—or more than $1.4 million traded every minute.